A Baha’i Perspective on Peace

Throughout the centuries, sacred scriptures, sages, seers, poets and well-wishers of humankind have envisioned the coming of world peace in the “end-times” (not the end of the world, but the end of an age).

Baha’is believe that the “end-times” – the end of old ideas and the start of a new era of understanding and unity among the nations, through God’s newly revealed social laws and principles – began with the inception of the Baha’i Faith in 1844.

The principle mission of the Baha’i Faith is the consciousness of the oneness of mankind and the establishment of world peace. The Baha’i Writings explain that peace will come about in stages.

First, is the gradual process of the establishment of the “Lesser Peace,” the earliest stages of which were in evidence, at the end of the 20th century, with an emerging “unity of nations.” The Lesser Peace will be achieved through the political unity and multilateral arms reductions of various governments of the world. Then, gradually, the “Most Great Peace” – which is the spiritual, political and social unity of humankind – will encircle the world through an evolving process leading to a golden age of human civilization.

The Baha’i Faith also teaches that the root causes of the war will not be eliminated by the banning of nuclear weapons or similar weapons of mass destruction. Peace is not just the elimination of war. There are other obstacles in the path of peace as well, such as prejudices – prejudices of race, nationality, language, sex, religion – that need to be eliminated through spiritual and moral education, as well as through consultation in solving the world’s problems, followed by concerted social action.

Although the Baha’is are not directly involved in establishing the Lesser Peace, they are not staying still and waiting for its coming. Baha’is contribute to the betterment of the world by observing divinely ordained principles of the Baha’i Faith, which are conducive to justice, unity, security and peace. To mention but a few, Baha’i principles include compulsory universal education, equality of the rights of men and women, universal language, spiritual abolition of extreme wealth and poverty, elimination of prejudices (as mentioned above). Baha’i principles are all spiritual and social instruments for the establishment of an enduring peace.

Moreover, the fundamental verities of the Baha’i Faith are also conducive to unity and peace: oneness of God, oneness of religion and oneness of humankind. The Baha’i Faith accepts the spiritual truth of all past religions, while promoting new social laws and principles which are in harmony with the requirements of the age in which we live. Also, the Baha’i Faith teaches that the religious truth is relative, not absolute, that religions evolve and progress, that no religion is final, and that the Baha’i Faith is the latest of God’s religions, ideally suited for this day and age.

Since the start of the Baha’i Faith in 1844 and its gradual spread all over the world, the Baha’i community, through spiritual education and community-building, has become an example of unity and peace. As we see today, the worldwide Baha’i community is a cross-section of more than 2,000 ethnicities, religions, tribes, races, classes, cultures and creeds. It is a vibrant and dynamic community.

Baha’is worldwide offer spiritual and moral education, not only to their own children, pre-youth, youth and adults, but also to all people in every corner of the world or neighbourhood. Baha’is are also engaged in other activities, such as serving the social and economic needs of the peoples of many countries. They consider work as worship, when it is performed in the spirit of truthfulness and honesty.

It conducts its affairs through the divinely ordained and democratically elected Baha’i councils at local, national and international levels, while fully utilizing the principle of consultation, which leads the way and ensures Baha’i unity.

Moreover, Baha’is are trying “to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization” which is the observance of the new laws and principles, as well putting into practice such human virtues such as honesty, truthfulness and kindness towards all the peoples in all their affairs and undertakings. In so doing, their firm conviction is that unity and peace are inevitable as promised by Baha’u’llah: “These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come.”

References: “The Promise of World Peace,” by The Universal House of Justice (international administrative council of the Baha’i Faith), online at http://www.bahai.org/documents/the-universal-house-of-justice/promise-world-peace; and “Attainment of the Unity of Nations and the Lesser Peace,” online at http://bahai-library.com/uhj_unity_nations_peace.